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Winblo and Flaborburst peaches

alan haigh
9 years ago

There is only so much you can learn from the first small crop of fruit from a tree, but judging from the Winblo peach I just ate from the first experimental tree in my orchard, it is a winner in having some acid with high sugar.

I will be surprised if it turns out to be superior to Earnie's choice, however- another peach with similar attributes in about the same season. Winblo may be a smaller less colored peach, judging from the scattering of fruit this year. Less red color may be an advantage in reducing bird damage, though.

Flavorburst is another of those low acid types (gag) popularized by Zaiger. It will be losing its place in my orchard and unavailable from my nursery.

Comments (58)

  • olpea
    9 years ago

    "The timing of Winblo here this year was identical to EC and I don't expect sequences to change a whole lot. I will see."

    Ernies Choice ripens about +10 here. From what I've read Winblo is supposed to ripen the same time (Winblos haven't fruited for me yet.)

    We are just now ripening Carolina Gold here.

  • rayrose
    9 years ago

    For a home grower, peach trees need at least 5 years before they produce really good fruit. If you judge a particular variety based on the first couple of years, you're really doing it an injustice. I know we all want instant gratification, but you have to give the variety a fair chance. You can't judge a tree, by the first few fruits you get.
    Winblo is ranked by FTF as 15 days before Elberta. I just planted mine this year and I'm expecting big things from it. In the 2012 peach variety evaluations conducted by Dr. Layne at the Clemson University Musser Fruit Research Farm, winblo was the only peach out of over 200 varieties tested, that he called "the perfect peach."

  • franktank232
    9 years ago

    ray-

    That is where i heard of Winblo

    Winblo vido

  • Scott F Smith
    9 years ago

    Hman, the two weeks was a guess. Looking through my logs it may be more like one week. I don't record ripening dates most years, just the order of ripening. Every year Winblo is ahead of EC, but not by much at all.

    I have gotten really big Winblo in years I thinned well and had a strong tree. I saw some of Andy Mariani's one year and they were as big as a large grapefruit.

    Ray is right about giving varieties a few years. This year my 2-year Shui Men Honey peach was only average, but the other honey peaches I have all took 4-5 years to start tasting good. Sanguine Tardeva is another that took a long time to be good. This year its one of my best peaches, yet I almost removed it. Mrs. G, if you want Peche de vigne it will deliver!

    Scott

  • fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
    9 years ago

    In 2014 Winblo at Musser farm was 10.6 brix. Flavrburst was 9.4 brix last yr, no wonder harvestman doesn't like it. You guys might like those peaches but I'm not a believer based on that information.

    Does anybody know of a summary of the Clemson variety data? There's tons of info linked below but I'll die before going through all one location/yr/variety at a time. What would be nice is a summary by variety across years.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Clemson peach variety data

    This post was edited by fruitnut on Mon, Aug 25, 14 at 12:11

  • rayrose
    9 years ago

    Fruitnut, I did that summary for the years 2010-11-12.
    It took a long time, but that is how I decided which varieties I planted this year. I knew that I only had room for 4 trees and that I wanted to extend my harvest from June through September. I also watched every one of Dr. Laynes' videos, some of them several times. I already had Harvester, which has been a big producer for me. Living in SC, I knew that these varieties should be big winners for me. Besides Winblo, I planted Fire Prince, August Prince, and Flame Prince. The 3 princes are on Guardian, while Winblo is on Lovell as is Harvester. One thing that I've noticed is that the trees on Guardian are growing faster and bigger than the one on Lovell.
    To me brix is not that important. So I don't use brix
    as an indicator of how good a peach is. You know a good peach or plum or apple or pear, when you taste it. I think too much emphasis is placed on it.

  • fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
    9 years ago

    Ray:

    Interesting strategy, how do those summaries taste?

    This post was edited by fruitnut on Mon, Aug 25, 14 at 18:05

  • Deeby
    9 years ago

    What about my new mini potted tree? It's called Little Jeanette. It had tiny peaches that fell off when I planted it in a big decorative pot. How long till she puts out fruit? I bought it about three months ago.

  • fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
    9 years ago

    So I looked thru quit a bit of Clemson variety data. Most varieties most yrs are 8-12 brix. With fruit that bad I think the data is worthless. Even if I could taste every fruit I won't know anything other than I don't want any of those.

    No wonder store bought peaches have such a bad reputation. Say what you will but 8-12 brix isn't what most people want.

  • bob_z6
    9 years ago

    FN, I agree with you on brix. Of course, as I don't have access to your 20+ brix greenhouse fruit, my palate has to be able to accept lower levels. 11-12 can be OK, but it won't get me excited. Under 10 and I usually compost it or offer it to my wife who seems more interested in how juicy it is, than the flavor. 15+ and I am pretty happy.

    While highly predictive, it isn't a hard and fast formula, as I've occasionally had 12 brix fruit which was pretty good. Recently, I also had the novel experience of a 22 brix farmer's market nectarine which was simply OK (low acid white fleshed).

    I took a look at some of the Clemson data and I think some of it is strangely low.

    To take Carolina Gold as an example, the 2 fruits I picked last year (a bit under-ripe, ranged from 12-18 brix. Yesterday, I picked my first test fruit of the year (there are dozens more) and it measured 13-15 (and was very flavorful). Hopefully I can get some into 17+ range and make it special.

    Now, the Clemson data has 2 farms with Carolina Gold:

    Cooley: 8.1-12.9, with 3 years of data (11.1 average)
    Musser: 12.8-16.5, with 6 years of data (14.8 average)

    I haven't done a general analysis, but I did spot check another cultivar to see if the trend continues for other peaches.

    O'Henry-
    Cooley: 10-16.4, with 4 years of data (13.0 avg)
    Musser: 11.8-16.5, with 8 years of data (14.7 avg).

    Interestingly, the first 2 years of Musser data (2004 and 2005) were the low outliers at 11.8 and 12.1, while the rest averaged 15.6.

    For whatever reason, Cooley looks pretty low. I wonder if it is a matter of the conditions (weather, pruning, etc) at the farm, or if they just need to wait longer to pick it.

    I took a look at their firmness data and it seems like Musser was actually slightly firmer (at least for O'Henry), so maybe it isn't a matter of hanging longer on the tree. It may be related to the type of farm. Musser is called a "fruit research farm", while Cooley is just a "farm".

    Interesting stuff- it makes me want to go to the effort of getting it into a database so I could do some real analysis on it...But for now, I'll probably look at the Musser data as more accurate. It also increases my desire to grow O'Henry, which I believe several posters have spoken positively about.

  • alan haigh
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    A commercial peach needs to ship and then keep on the shelf for at least a week. If the data is based on this, all it tells you is what it's sugar is at this point. Some varieties get sweeter while still hard while others maybe need to be almost soft ripe to fully develop sugar. The southern peach industry was launched by Elberta, I believe, because of its ability to ship.

    Perhaps we need data about tree ripe fruit to know what varieties best serve our use. Meanwhile, when I hear or read about a variety being exceptional I may try it. So far, I will say the the difference between good and the "best" is not really that great compared to other species. It is so much more about soil, thinning and timing of rain than the variety Itself.

    If I want a really good peach with highly concentrated flavor I pick a nectarine. But the less concentrated flavor of peaches is still very appealing and I will always enjoy them as well.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    I do think climate matters. I didn't get any fruit this year. But I did observe my trees becoming extremely stressed from lack of water. In mid to late summer is is very dry here, and probably possible to produce a high brix peach, if a late ripening cultivar. If I get fruit next year, I will try and swing a brix meter, just for comparison sake at least. I'm worried another cold winter may limit fruit.
    I may try to protect trees this year.

  • olpea
    9 years ago

    I notice the brix on the Flavrburst patent claims an average of 10 at the "firm ripe" stage. Of course what "firm ripe" means to a wholesale grower is entirely different from someone actually eating the peach. "Firm ripe" is a store bought peach which is inedible most of the time.

    As was alluded, I think the published brix numbers are geared for commercial/wholesale, and so aren't that useful, unless you plan on picking your peaches green and rock hard. As Bob mentions, there may be some value in the published brix numbers as the different varieties relate to each other.

    Fruitnut,

    I notice the patent on Honey Royale, one of your favorite fruits, lists the brix at 13.1. I'm sure you've added quite a few points to that number under the growing conditions in your greenhouse. My guess is you could do the same for most of the fruits listed in in the Clemson analysis.

    The patent also mentions Flavrburst is a sub acid peach, as does a press release in Good Fruit Grower, so it looks like Hman's assessment about the flavor is correct. Perhaps a disappointment to me, since I also planted several Flavrburst based on Adam's catalog description, and don't prefer sub-acid peaches.

    A couple years ago, the Adams rep told me sub-acid peaches are gaining in popularity. I wonder if the glowing endorsement of Flavrburst by Adams and Rutgers (both describe the flavor as excellent) relates to the growing popularity of sub-acid fruits?

  • rayrose
    9 years ago

    I think judging any fruit strictly on brix is being very short sighted. To me there are far many more important things to consider. The Clemson study farms are designed to cater to peach growers in SC. This is a BIG industry here. We grow more peaches than Georgia, the peach state. I have met Dr. Layne, along with a number of the Clemson Extension Division's peach experts. These guys work individually with peach growers in their designated areas, in helping them grow the best peaches for SC. We ship peaches all over the world.
    I've tasted a number of the peaches in these studies, and I value what Dr. Layne and these agents tell me.
    I've already stated one of the criterea that I used, in making my personal analysis, extending my harvest from June-September. My other criterea, was disease resistance, taste, size, and productivity.
    Some of have you mentioned O'Henry. It is a very good peach, but here, in SC, it's disease prone, and I don't spray for disease ,so I culled it from the list. Why would you want to plant anything, because it has a high brix, if it's disease prone? Keep in mind, if you watch Dr. Layne's videos, especially the one provided by Frank, they are entitled "Peaches for SC." This does not mean that they will not do well in other similar areas.
    As has already been stated, these studies were done over a number of years at two different farms many miles apart. One farm owned and managed by Clemson, the other is privately owned. Many of the trees were either purchased or donated by ACN and FTF. They also study plums, nectarines and pluots. This is also how I made my decision to plant a Black Ruby plum, and to cull my Ruby Queen, which i had planted the year before.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    Why would you want to plant anything, because it has a high brix, if it's disease prone?

    Because nothing else tastes like it, such as Indian Free.
    Pineberries often have leaf problems, but nothing else is like them.

  • fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
    9 years ago

    Ray:

    I still don't understand how you pick fruit varieties to test based on taste. I've never known what a variety tasted like before growing it myself. Disease resistance and size, sure, but taste? For me brix is at least a start on assessing taste. If I know that and acid/subacid I've got a start on taste.

    Bob:

    I appreciate your input. You've got the guts to put out real brix numbers good or bad.

    This post was edited by fruitnut on Tue, Aug 26, 14 at 10:36

  • rayrose
    9 years ago

    I'm really not testing anything. Nor do I want to test anything. I made my selections based on the criteria that I stated. These guys have done the testing for me. Case closed.
    Some of you guys may like spraying, but I don't. I already have enough to do as it is.

  • fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
    9 years ago

    Ray:

    Thanks that tells me what I need to know.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    No such thing as a spray free peach here, so if you want peaches here, you have to spray. Unless you don't mind losing most of the crop,have short-lived trees, and don't mind worms. For me spraying is the easy option.

  • Scott F Smith
    9 years ago

    My read of brix data from studies is its useless as absolute data but it might be useful as relative data for the different varieties within the study since the same people did the picking, measuring, etc.

    My sweetest peach this year has been Sanguine Tardeva, and it gets a 9 brix in the ARS study below. The study must have been really sloppy in terms of when the fruits were picked if they got such a low number. Most of the highest brix in this study are nectarines, so it is at least better than completely random since nectarines tend to be sweeter.

    Scott

    Here is a link that might be useful: ARS brix study

  • rayrose
    9 years ago

    Drew,

    I don't spray for disease, but I do spray for PC and Borers. I don't have to spray for disease, because I stay away from disease prone varieties. I learned that lesson, when I had FB with some of my apples.

  • alan haigh
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I disagree Scott, nectarines are not generally sweeter than peaches as grown here because of their higher acid- they have more sugar but the acid balances it. Some don't like nectarines as much as peaches because of that acid kick.

    Rayrose, don't assume you will always be able to harvest stone fruit without spraying for brown rot. Diseases, especially brown rot, are more likely to show up in older trees, but growing varieties known to have resistance certainly helps your odds.

  • fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
    9 years ago

    I've never had a peach with brix as high as many nectarines. But I haven't tested that many peaches. I got rid of them because they weren't as sweet or flavorful as nectarines. Valley Sweet peach has reached 24 brix but is usually 18-22. Many nectarines have been mid to upper 20s and higher brix.

    I've planted a lot more peaches again. So future results might change my opinion.

  • bob_z6
    9 years ago

    Harvestman, I'm not sure that it is just a matter of one farm picking it before the other. That was my first thought as well, but if that was the case, the earlier, lower brix fruit would be firmer. The reverse is true, at least of Carolina Gold and O'Henry.

    BTW- when I was checking Carolina Gold's firmness, I noticed that I missed a year from Cooleys. The average is actually 12.4, not 11.1 (still quite a bit under Musser's 14.8).

    My guess would be that it is how they are raised. Initial thoughts:
    - Pruning for sun- Carolina Gold is harder to color up and Musser had redder CG (3.7 vs 3.2). Of course the same didn't hold for O'Henry, but those were almost all red anyways (high 7's for both, on a scale to 8).

    - Less water (more focus on yield)?

    - Better thinning- the two years where Musser was around 12 brix for O'Henry, it had much smaller fruit (~2.6 vs 3.0 inches) than when it averaged 14.7 brix. Of course, there was also a note that there was bad brown rot both bad years, so it could have just been cloudy, rainy weather.

    Rayrose, I agree that disease resistance and to a lesser degree, size are important. Productivity isn't as important to me, at least in terms of yield per year. I do want something that bears each year, but the amount isn't critical. I'm growing so many trees (all for personal use) that quality is more important than quantity. So, taste is very important, but since I've often seen a strong correlation with brix, it is a good numerical hint. When reading descriptions, everything tastes great- especially in nursery catalogs. But, if you find someone whose evaluation you trust, I can see why brix won't matter much to you.

    My take on brix is to not worry too much about a single low reading in some study, if some trusted individuals praise it. After all, it is possible to screw up fruit growing in so many ways, resulting in a low brix level. But if I see a high brix level, I at least know there is very good upside potential.

    This is what I did with ARS when selecting apples to graft. I got a few Stephen Hayes recommended (even in the face of a low brix reading for Winston) and several obscure ones with high brix. We'll see in a few years how this works out.

  • alan haigh
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Bob, I noticed that, but I still don't know how their firmness ratings relates to what I consider a ripe peach, but you are right that the relative firmness related to brix provides some information. However, to the home grower it is how the fruit tastes when it is tree ripe- that is the whole reason I mentioned that some fruit develops more sugar when firm but then stops getting sweeter as it softens (didn't mention the last part, actually)- at least based on my unscientific observation. Maybe FN will want to make measurements and give us something more definitive on the subject.

    People who obsess on fruit usually have a pretty good idea about what varieties they grow taste best, within the context of individual tastes. However, I will say again, that with peaches it is much more about nurture than nature- any good peach can be a "great" peach if you thin aggressively, ripen them on the tree and are blessed with the right balance of rain and sun .

    FN's nurture creates fruit that is not possible in the natural world- especially where it rains during the growing season, so I always take his evaluations with a grain of salt, although they are the most precise you will find anywhere and when he raves about a variety I can grow reasonably reliably here (not usually the case) I will certainly give it a shot.

    I've grown many varieties of peaches over the years but Loring and its sports are still my favorite with John Boy being my "flagship" peach. It may just be that it ripens at the best time for my climate- when it's still hot and the sun is strong. I also much prefer peaches with a long harvest period, unlike commercial growers and modern breeders.

  • fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
    9 years ago

    Harvestman:

    Now you tell us!! Haven't heard much of anyone praise Loring on this forum in the past. My impression has been that it was frost tender and maybe winter tender so not suited to west Texas. Have heard that it's a good eating peach. It might be good in my greenhouse.

    I do wish you'd give us a full list of your favorites across all fruits sometime this fall. It would help many with orders this winter.

  • fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
    9 years ago

    I went over more of the Clemson data and have concluded that they're growing great peaches a few yrs, probably when it's dry, but horrendous peaches many yrs probably when it rains too much.

    For instance Arctic Star an early maturing nectarine ranged in brix from 7.8 to 21.3 and averaged 12.7 across 8 yrs. Mine have ranged from 14 to 34 and a good yr is 24 brix, nearly double Clemson. The 14 brix came when I way over watered.

    Averages for other varieties with at least 7 yrs brix data:

    Some of my favorites:
    Honey Blaze nectarine 14.6
    Arctic Jay nectarine 18.2
    Valley Sweet peach 16.3
    Note: Arctic Jay is all-time, top rated fruit DWN

    Others:
    Redglobe peach 13.2
    Winblo peach 12.3
    John Boy peach 10.6
    Sweet Dream peach 14.3
    Loring 5ys 12.2

    My favorite fruits are 2-6 pts higher brix than Loring/Winblo and I can add at least several points brix above that. Sometimes my brix is double Clemson brix. Possibly part fruit maturity and part water status during growing season.

    Brix numbers and fruit size of Honey Blaze nectarines. Top two rows had more water during growing season.


    High brix Honey Blaze on the tree. Fruit is very dark colored.


    {{gwi:121831}}

    Upper row, lower brix, fruit on the tree.

    {{gwi:121833}}

    This post was edited by fruitnut on Wed, Aug 27, 14 at 12:39

  • Tony
    9 years ago

    FN.

    Nice demonstration of brix in a control environment. One of these days I am going to put up a small green house.

    Tony

  • fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
    9 years ago

    Thanks Tony.

    Have you tried any stone fruit on Krymsk 1 rootstock? Some of my highest brix fruit, nectarine and pluot, have been on that rootstock. It's not very compatible with peach/nectarine but I had one tree crop about 5 yrs. It grew like one of those genetic dwarfs but pumped out high brix fruit every year. The pluots were also at times 25-34 brix. One yr the tree was so drought stressed despite extra water that the fruit shriveled up and fell off in August.

  • franktank232
    9 years ago

    Fruit-

    I've been tempted to try that stock. You've used it in containers?

    i've been using peach seedlings for most of my grafting.

  • Tony
    9 years ago

    FN,

    I have not had the chance to try it yet. I have been using plum and peach seedlings as rootstock for all my stone fruit grafting. I may try them next spring.

    Tony

  • fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
    9 years ago

    Not sure if I've had K1 in a pot. Have had it inground almost since greenhouse was new but have taken those trees out. This spring I put K1 all over in my new closely spaced trellis setup. So will have many varieties on it going forward. I think both Citation and K1 increase brix. Citation also increases fruit size but it's sold out at DWN for the next two yrs. I don't know any place else to buy it. Raintree has had K1 for yrs.

    I could be wrong about K1 because it was long term just one tree each nectarine and pluot. Actually about 8 varieties peach/nectarine on one and 3 pluot on another. They both seemed immune to excess water and pumped out high brix fruit. The pluot was taken out because like I said extra water didn't seem to be enough to keep fruit from shriveling up. That was only the last yr and tree was big for my setup when it finnally came out. The nectarine/peach tree never exceeded 6-7ft tall and was still producing great fruit when it went out in order to change row spacing.

    I'd think K1 would be great in a pot.

    This post was edited by fruitnut on Wed, Aug 27, 14 at 16:45

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    Just for an observation here in MI Citation seems very vigorus, and my fastest growing trees. All seem healthy as heck. Two on Lovell grow slower, are not adapting as well as Citation. Had more water stress this summer. They are not very old, so things could change.

  • franktank232
    9 years ago

    Drew-

    Citation has been outstanding here. I'm on sand soil. No issues. Take -20Fs no problemo.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    I'm in clay loam, and it got to -14, plus it was dry, and didn't shut down like it could do. Seems like an excellent rootstock where ever you are! . Also to note the Zaiger trees 4 in one Pluot, Arctic Glo, and Spice Zee Nectaplum are all still alive and doing well here. Glad I tried them dispite so many telling me not to. Time will tell, they are still young, but all look very good. I think though some do have a limit of zone 6. Spice Zee barely made it through the winter. Arctic Glo and the Pluot were fine.

  • franktank232
    9 years ago

    I think i'll take at Kymsk and see what happens. Probably order 10 and bud them over to various things. Maybe I'll try an inter-stem on the peaches/nectarines.

  • bob_z6
    9 years ago

    Are there any obvious disease issues with Loring or John Boy? Is the main issue with O'Henry bacterial spot?

  • alan haigh
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    O'Henry is a CA peach, Loring is a standard eastern variety (and BS resistant). It is just a plain, old fashioned, orange fleshed, luscious peach that gets up good sugar in our climate.

    I'm not saying it's the best one and certainly not the most interesting one but it is my most reliable truly delicious good sized peach. It is known for not being very bud hardy but that has not mattered here, although my site is subject to late frosts and far from ideal.

    This year my nectarines performed very poorly due to excessive early rain damaging the skin, I think. This has made me more appreciative of my peaches that didn't suffer at all in the same conditions- at least most varieties didn't suffer.

    I should mention that my site is not ideal for testing varieties because the conditions vary from spot to spot a great deal in terms of sun exposure and depth and even texture of soil. I've grown Jon Boy in several other locations though, and it has always been a stand out.

  • rayrose
    9 years ago

    HMan
    Have you tried John Boy II? It's also in Clemson's study.

  • alan haigh
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Ray, no, I haven't because it's too close to John Boy and I figure that the four days later harvest is probably the main difference. I have Earnie's choice and now Winblo to fill that window in my own orchard and in my nursery I try to have a span of 5 or 6 varieties to cover the whole season here.

  • olpea
    9 years ago

    "I'm not saying [Loring] is the best one and certainly not the most interesting one but it is my most reliable truly delicious good sized peach.

    I'll add Redskin to that category. I've had this peach for quite a few years and it's really grown on me. An old commercial variety. Natural sweet peach flavor. Peaches are always large. It has been one of the most consistent croppers for me. Tolerates late frosts better than other peaches. This winter it tolerated the -10F temps better than most other varieties.

    The disadvantages of the variety are that it gets little bit of rusty spot, doesn't hang as well as the newer varieties, and isn't a very pretty peach. Frequently there is still some green overtones on the skin (especially around the stem) even when it's soft ripe, which is probably why it's not grown commercially much anymore.

  • Scott F Smith
    9 years ago

    Bob I am harvesting early O'Henrys now. All of them get spots on the top but its mainly cosmetic. I am still getting Carolina Golds, and O'Henry has both more flavor and more sugar. Its a very firm peach, pick when its less soft compared to other varieties.

    So yes its best in California, but its pretty darn good for me.

    Scott

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    I want all of these now, stop it! A litle trouble is worth good taste, no doubt. Some years I'm sure it's a pain.
    Rio Oso Gem has not been mentioned, any problems with that one? I know it's an excellent peach.

  • bob_z6
    9 years ago

    Given my brown rot problems (even Carolina Gold is getting hit now, though not as badly as TangOs), I'll probably need to start spraying MFF. Would that take care of some of the bacterial spot?

    I agree Drew- I've been brainstorming where I can fit in another row of trees without shading them or something else. I think I've got an option, so I can't wait to get home and start pacing out the dimensions...

  • olpea
    9 years ago

    Just thought I'd add to my post. I sold a little over 1/2 bushel of Redskin today and they averaged 3/4 lb. Monsterous peaches. Some of the larger peaches were close to a pound. They were good flavored too, not watered down. They were so huge because the crop was thin, as was the case with any peach fortunate enough to have a crop this here this year.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    I'll take 2 dozen!! Mail'em out to me!

  • Scott F Smith
    9 years ago

    Drew, Rio Oso Gem is indeed a very good peach. The only problem I had was it got bacterial leaf spot badly. But once I got that under control in the orchard it did fine. Borers did in my first tree but I have a new one I grafted recently that should fruit next year for me.

    Scott

  • olpea
    9 years ago

    "I'll take 2 dozen!! Mail'em out to me!"

    :-)

    I would except I'm sure they'd never make the trip in one piece. I'm always so paranoid about them bruising anyway.

    You'd be surprised what people want to do w/ the peaches after they buy them. After we've been so careful picking, and placing in crates (with towels on the bottom for cushion) one level deep (not stacked) then boxed in flats one level deep, I've seen customers want to dump them in a bag they are carrying, or stack something on top of them (I do my best to try to talk them out of things like that.) The other day a customer just dropped a flat of them in his trunk (from about 6 inches).

    I can't imagine how the mailmen would treat them.

    Carolina Golds are half the size of Redskin. It was the first batch of Carolina Golds picked today and haven't tasted them yet this year (in the past they've been very good). That's probably the biggest disadvantage of Carolina Gold (small size). Small size doesn't bother me personally, but I will admit large peaches are easier to sell (as long as they taste good). Once I had a customer who refused some very good tasting peaches (Baby Crawford) because they were small.

  • alan haigh
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Olpea, it just goes to show how regional this all is. Redskin was mediocre here, never an outstanding peach for me and one of my early rejections.

  • john_in_sc
    9 years ago

    I lived about 8 miles from Musser (which is AT Clemson - about 25 miles from the NC border - but not in the mountains)... (BTW, I Still own the house - it's rented out..) Now, I am on the other end of South Carolina...


    Cooley is "Down state" - closer to where I live now, and it looks like the rain just got the better of everything.


    Here's my comment on the evaluations.... Last year was a really weird year.. We got 10-15 inches of rain MORE than usual - which makes for soggy, bland fruit. The spring was almost flooding wet - there was significant worry about losing all the row crops because of standing water in the fields... Then - there was hardly any rain at all for over a month - and everybody was worrying about everything drying up and dying... THEN - it went back to almost flooding.... and as you might expect - this wreaks havoc on fruit....

    If you want to consider anything from these ratings - they are a good indication of how the trees behave when they are massively over-watered.... If the varieties didn't have problems with rot this year - they probably don't have problems with rot....

    As an aside - the figs were absolutely heavenly - literally like eating fragrant, fruity honey - for that ONE single short no-rain period... Then - they turned into sour, baggy, mush.

    Thanks

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